Never Let Go
by PallasAthene13
Summary: 25 years after the Mockingjay Rebellion failed, it is time for the 100th Games, the fourth Quarter Quell. When the Capitol starts playing mind games, District 10's Karalynn Jackson must try and hold on when everything she knows is slipping away.
1. Just Another Reaping

It's raining the day of the Reaping. The kind of rain that soaks you in seconds and makes sight nearly impossible. By the time my family reaches the town center, I decide I'm never going to be dry again. On my left, my older sister releases my hand and walks towards her friends in the eighteen-year-olds' section. She's acting confident, but I can see her knees shaking. Meghana took tesserae this year, and this is one Games even the Career Districts may not what to participate in.

It's the 100th Quarter Quell this year. The Games have been especially harsh since the Mockingjay Rebellion failed fifteen years ago, but this year is even worse. President Storm announced that for the change in rules, half of the Tributes will be randomly selected to have their brains altered. Memories removed. Made more vicious and bloodthirsty. The other half would be left to deal with the fear of not knowing who the altered Tributes were.

I realize that I've stopped in my tracks, clenching my twin brother's hand. Kayden's deep brown eyes lock with my blue ones- the only obvious difference, besides hair length, in our faces. "Karalynn?" I force a smile. "I'm fine, Kay." I squeeze his hand one last time and walk towards the fifteen-year-old girls' section. Neither of us have tessarae, only Meghana. But I'm still scared, for all three of us.

The stage has a wooden covering over it, to protect the mayor and the Capitol people. The District Ten Victors sit in a small group. Just two- almost all the Victors were killed in the Mockingjay Rebellion. Some, like Twelve, have no Victors at all and are being mentored by some of the spare Career Victors. The mayor is talking, but nobody is listening between the loud rain and nerves. _It's just one more Reaping,_ I tell myself. _Like any other year, just a Reaping to stand through and then we can go home._ The Escort, Dahlia Bloom, is talking about how great the Games are. I glance towards Kay, barely able to see him through the rain. I think I catch a smile, a hint of teasing in his eye, but then Dahlia is walking towards the Reaping ball and I make myself pay attention.

"Ladies first!"she shouts over the rain. _Not Meghana, not Meghana, not Emma or Mira or any of my friends, not-_ Dahlia's voice just reaches my ears. "Karalynn Jackson!"

The crowd and the rain fall silent to my shock. _Karalynn Jackson. That's me. That's my name. No, no, nonononono..._ Blood is rushing to my face, and I'm vaguely aware of my feet moving, one at a time, towards the stage without my permission. Meghana is pale and open-mouthed, but it's against the rules to volunteer for a family member since Katniss Everdeen fifteen years ago.

Dahlia says something to me, I don't know what, and I nod dully. _I'm going in the Games. I'm going in the Quarter Quell. They're going to mess with my head, or..._Dahlia is moving towards the other Reaping ball. "And for our second Tribute..." _Focus, Kara, focus!_"Kayden Jackson!"

There's a scream somewhere. Maybe it's my mother. Or Meghana. Or maybe it's me.

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><p><strong>Reviews please? Chapter Two should be up right away. After that, I'll try and update every day, but no promises.<strong>


	2. A Good Show

**This chapter may be a little rushed, but I want to get to the Games quickly. Most of the chapters before the Games will be background information and character building.**

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><p>Kayden's eyes lock with mine. He slowly walks up towards the stage and stands beside me. Side-by-side, everyone knows who we are. Dahlia looks down at the names in her hand. "Jackson... are you two related? Twins, perhaps?" I nod silently, still stunned. "Well, then! This will be an interesting Games! District Ten, may I present your Tributes for the 100th Hunger Games, Karalynn and Kayden Jackson!" Some people cheer. Others stay silent. Those who have lost family members to the Games, I suppose. Those who feel sorry for a family who will most likely lose two children this year.<p>

The Peacekeepers escort us off stage. I want to cry. Kayden looks like he wants to hit Dahlia. But neither of us is willing to be labeled as weak or uncontrollable. They let us in the same room to say goodbye, a rare sympathy.

Mom and Meghana come in first. Mom is in tears, and Meg is barely holding herself together. Seeing them, I just want to cry again. We hold each other, holding our precious last minutes together. When the Peacekeepers come to take them away from us, Meg gives us one last hug. "She can't lose both of you. Come home," she whispers in our ears. We promise, because what else can we do?

The rest is a blur. Other family, cousins, come. Friends. Kayden's girlfriend shows up last, and I excuse myself to give them time alone. And, in a way, give myself time alone. I'm still about to break down.

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><p>The train ride is only a few hours long. District Ten is close enough to the Capitol that we don't have to travel for long. Kayden and I spend most of the time sitting together, talking. Discussing anything except the Games. The past, old memories, stories from school or the pastures. For hours. But not long enough. Dahlia calls us from outside the room. "Kayyyyyyden! Kaaaaaaralynn!" My hand clenches at her voice, at the reminder of where we are.<p>

"Kara?" Kayden's brown eyes lock with mine. He squeezes my hand once. "Hang in there. It's going to be okay." Together, we leave the room, following our escort's voice.

Dahlia is sitting with the two District mentors. Matthias is older, having won one of the first couple Games after the Mockingjay Rebellion, when we were too young to really remember anything. Sable is young, just a few years older than us. I remember her Games. It's her that indicates the last two seats at the table.

"We're your lifeline during the Games. But we need to know more about you. Who you are, what your skills are," she tells us. I glance at Kayden. "I'm Kara. We're both 15, twins. We want to stay together in the arena." Kay and I didn't discuss this; we didn't need to. An unspoken assumption. "I'm fast, and good with a slingshot from watching the herds." Kayden picks up the conversation. "I'm not as fast, but I'm strong. I could work heavier weapons if I had to." Matthias and Sable look at each other. He speaks next. "Good. Better than some Tributes. First things first. Cooperate with your stylist. And stay together in public. Sponsors will pay attention to the inseparable twins from District Ten. Dress alike, finish each other's sentences, I don't care. But put on a good show." As we pull into the Capitol, I'm blind to the grandeur that I'm sure is outside. Deaf to the shouts of the people outside. Because those last words are reverberating in my head. _Put on a good show. The Games have begun._

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><p>Only a few hours later, Matthias's words are all but faded in my head. The prep team is poking and prodding me like I'm an animal. It's almost funny, these three barely human creatures looking at me, but I'm at the edge of my patience. And they're preparing me for death, in a way.<p>

Finally, the stylist comes in. A tall woman with hair died an array of colours, real gemstones are embedded in some kind of swirly design on her hands. The prep teams calls her Helena or something. She circles me. _Like a cow who may not pass inspection,_ I think. "Good enough," the woman announces. "Now she looks human." I want to laugh in her face. Helena has no right to talk about looking human.

The stylist reveals my dress. It's grass green, with the same kind of linear pattern. Starting at the bottom and becoming less and less dense until my torso, splashes of colour, browns and blacks and whites, adorn it. _They represent animals in the pasture,_ I think. She helps me into the dress, with shoes of the same green and a sky blue ribbon worked artfully into my hair. I look at the mirror silently. The dress isn't half bad- at least I'm not actually dressed like a cow. The ribbon contrasts with my dark brown hair and makes my blue eyes look brighter. Overall, the outfit isn't the best, but better than last year's.

Kayden is waiting outside, in a matching suit. I stifle a laugh- he looks more ridiculous than I do. Sable catches our arms, holding us back while the stylists and Matthias walk ahead. "Just deal with it," she whispers. "The Capitol people will like it, and that's what's important right now." I nod. After all, it's all about putting on a good show.

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><p><strong>Feedback?<strong>


	3. Anything More than a Memory

**Another (short) filler chapter. Hoping to get to the Games in the next two-three chapters.**

**Thanks to GertrudeTheAwesome for being the first reviewer and pointing out something very important that I'd managed to overlook!**

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><p>Dahlia wakes me the next morning for breakfast before training. Sable and Matthias are giving us last-minute instructions, but I'm too nervous to really listen. Something about not drawing too much attention to ourselves, but continuing the 'inseparable twins' act. Kayden and I coordinate outfits, and we're whisked away for the first day of training.<p>

We're some of the last Tributes to arrive. District Twelve comes just behind us, and the trainer begins to speak. He's talking about our training, but I'm looking around.

Twenty-four teenagers are gathered in this room. Some are even smaller than I am. Most of the boys are larger, some twice my size. The Career girls look dangerous. A twelve-year-old from a lower District is cowering, almost in tears. Twenty-three of us will not be coming out.

It hits me like a bullet. Twenty-three of us will not be coming out. Even if I survive, against all odds... my twin brother will not. Because only one person in this room will be anything more than a memory in a few weeks.

I'm going to lose my own life. I'm going to lose my brother. Most likely, I will be losing both. Because I couldn't live with myself knowing I'd left my twin dead in the arena.

The other Tributes are wandering off to stations when I realize I'm standing dead-still in the middle of the floor. Kayden tugs at my arm. "Kara? Are you alright?" I swallow hard, holding back tears. "Fine. Let's go to edible plants, that may give us a clue on what to expect."

Training is a blur. We hit the survival stations, learning as much as we can. At one point, I notice the Careers watching us, but I turn my back and pay attention to the knots in front of me. Right now, even they are nothing.

When we are released from training, I flee to my room. Locking the door, I throw myself on the bed and let the tears that had refused to come pour down my face. For the first time since I was Reaped, I let out my sorrow. Because I am going to lose my twin, no matter what happens in these Games.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the short chapter. Next chapter should be some background on the other Tributes, then the interviews, which means the Games in the next three chapters.<strong>


	4. Ten's Little Twins

**In a few hours the Hunger Games movie will be released in theaters!**

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><p>Kayden and I agree to spend most of training just listening. There are certain expectations for twins, I suppose. We stick together, dress alike, and don't speak to anyone but each other. This isn't how we normally act, but this is a game of survival.<p>

Instead, we listen to the other Tributes. Learn about them, their skills, and their alliances. I'm fine with this. If I talk too much, I might blurt out how scared I am, how I'm going to lose my twin, and then I'll fall apart. Instead, I put all my energy into learning.

District One is a threat only because they are Careers. The boy is younger than most, Reaped instead of a volunteer, with only a few years of training to back him up. The girl, her name is Velvet or something, concerns herself too much with trivial things. Her hair, her appearance. You'd think she was a Capitol girl.

District Two, as usual, is vicious. Ajax and Alana, I think. Ajax is more than twice my size, with strong muscles from years of training. He's eighteen. Alana is fifteen, slender but dangerous, and she scares me almost more than huge Ajax.

In District Three, only the girl I remember. I don't know her name, but there's a shine in her eyes that hints she's dangerously smart.

District Four are typical Careers, tanned from years at the sea, with the characteristic good looks of their District. It's the girl who approaches me and Kayden one day. "Well, well. District Ten's little twins." The cruel edge in her tone cuts straight to my bones, and I glance at Kayden. "You know you won't have each other in the arena, right?" She laughs, walking away. I know from then on that if I am capable of hating anybody in this arena, it is the cruel girl from Four.

Most of the other Districts make no impression on me whatsoever. An occasional Tribute, the boy from Seven or the girl from Nine, strike me as unusual, stronger or more skilled then most of their counterparts. Some, from the middle or lower Districts, are obviously Bloodbaths. I find myself wondering if 'Ten's little twins' are viewed the same by our competition.

Our individual sessions with the Gamemakers come quickly enough. It strikes me for the first time how far down Ten is. Nineteen teenagers, including my twin brother, perform before me. Finally, my turn comes around.

When I walk in, the Gamemakers are mostly paying attention, although they seem to be edging on boredom. Sable and I have already decided to show them everything. No matter what I score, I'm a target, because I'm a Tribute. But Kayden and I need sponsors.

I start at the door, sprinting across the room. The training room seems larger than before, with nobody in it, but I'm a fast runner. I reach the slingshots, snatching one up easily, and turn back even as I'm stopping. I start to shoot at the targets, missing one or two but mostly hitting.

The Gamemakers dismiss me eventually, and I walk towards the elevator. Hopefully, that was enough to get some support. If not, sympathy for the twins may get us what we're missing.

I stop at my door, thinking hard. _It's more than just a game of survival,_ I think. _It's a game of manipulation. Manipulating the Capitol to get support, manipulating the other Tributes to outsmart them, manipulating the Gamemakers to make ourselves seem better than me are._ I walk inside, like I'd never stopped. Manipulating the Capitol. These thoughts are treasonous.

When scores are shown that night, I'm not surprised. The Careers score in their average 8-10 range, everyone else in the lower numbers. Kayden pulls a seven, I have a six. Not bad.

But when we go to sleep, apprehensive for the interviews tomorrow night, all I can think about is that these lower numbers will be altered. They'll make the least skilled Tributes into killing machines.

In a few days, twelve of us will "randomly" be, basically, mutts.

I hope it's not Kayden or I.

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><p><strong>I will not be updating until Monday or Tuesday, so apologies in advance for the wait!<strong>


	5. Manipulation

**Last chapter before the Games!**

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><p>My interview dress is beautiful. It's long, clinging to my lean frame, a shimmering shade of pale blue that matches my eyes. My hair is curled and draped over my shoulders, sparking slightly. For the first time in my life, I feel truly beautiful. If only for one night. For the Games.<p>

Kayden's suit matches my dress, the final word in our masquerade. It's raining, so we're kept inside, protected from getting wet. As we walk towards the stage under the makeshift cover, my hand finds Kayden's. The rain, our joined hands, the desperation. It's like the Reaping all over again. Unconsciously, my other hand reaches for Meghana, a gap that will never be breached.

When the pair from Twelve are seated, the interviews begin. The interviewer is new, but dressed in a similar fashion to Caesar Flickerman all those years ago. His name is Oberon. My eyes are wandering, but I force myself to pay attention as Velvet takes the stage.

The interviews fly by too fast. Velvet is trying to be provocative, but she seems silly and shallow to me. The boy from her District sounds desperate. I don't think the Careers are including him this year, probably a first for District One.

Ajax and Alana play up the bloodthirsty angle. Typical Careers. But Alana says something that surprises me, right at the end. "I'm going to win this. For my family." I glance at Kayden. _A Career with visible emotion. With love._ Just another reminder that these people I will be forced to kill are all too human.

The girl from three (Oberon identifies her as Breia) is quiet. But something bugs me about her; the way she speaks, or carries herself, maybe. She's smart. In the arena, smart people are dangerous.

The girl from four shoots me a look as she walks towards Oberon. She's downright nasty, but the Capitol loves it. They know she'll be good in the arena. "I have no doubt that I'll be the one to walk out of that arena." She laughs venomously. "There's barely any competition anyways. Too much emotion and weakness." Now she's definitely looking at the lower Districts. The camera cuts to our faces, and I'm glad to see that I appear emotionless.

I barely notice most of the others. The ones that struck me as dangerous during training are the only ones I really listen to. The boy from Seven is large and muscular, I think the Careers recruited him in place of the District One boy. He's cruel and sadistic, and I can't help thinking he should be from a Career District. Ciela from Nine, a pretty slender girl, is pensive but confident. She's good with knives, but I can already tell she's the type to play mind games.

Ciela's District partner goes, and they're calling Karalynn Jackson. I take my seat beside Oberon, and force myself to focus on his questions.

"So, Karalynn. Tell us, what was your reaction when you and your twin were both Reaped?"

"Surprise. Determination. But sadness, too. Because one of us is going home, but only one." Someone in the audience sobs loudly. _Manipulate the audience._

"Tell us more about yourself, though. You and Kayden. The rest of your family."

"Kayden's my best friend as well as my twin. We're very close. We have an older sister, Meghana, too. She's eighteen."

The interview continues like this. I play up the "inseparable twins" act, talking about how close Kayden and I are and how we're going to stick together to the end. Kayden will continue this line, and I'm hoping in the end that it was enough to draw sponsors.

My time is almost up when Oberon asks me the question I've avoided since the Reaping.

"What if one of you gets altered?"

It's silent in the Capitol. I think the audience stopped breathing. Glancing at the screen, I watch the other Tributes. The Careers, especially Four and Seven, are smirking. Breia's eyes narrow, some of the younger Tributes look terrified.

I take my time in answering. "Kayden and I haven't let ourselves think about that. We know only one of us can go home, so we're just doing our best to savor our last days as twins. If that happens... we'll handle it as it comes. But I know that no alteration could keep us apart when we really need each other."

My buzzer goes off, and some of the Capitolites are openly crying. By the end of Kayden's interview, they've played right into our hands. I hope it's enough.

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><p>The last night is painful. Kayden and I cling to each other, sitting on the couch. I let myself cry again. It's late, and nobody is watching.<p>

We finalize our plans for the next day. I'll grab weapons, because I can get in and out faster, while Kayden grabs supplies. We'll meet up behind the Cornucopia and run. No matter what, we're sticking together. We're all we have left, because we both know we're going to die.

Helena wakes me up early that morning. I don't remember crawling into bed, but there I am. Silently, she helps me dress and escorts me to the hovercraft.

I spend most of the ride drinking as much water as I can. Dehydration is a problem. So is starvation, but no food is going to stay in my stomach.

As I step onto the platform to be transported to my death, Helena makes one final comment I'm sure she means well. "I guess this means you're staying yourself, right?"

My treasonous thoughts have stayed with me. Kayden and I manipulated the audience. The Gamemakers are manipulating us, with the fear of not knowing who the "mutts" are.

The Hunger Games is not just a game of survival. It's a game of manipulation. I intend to both survive and manipulate... but not long enough to lose my twin.

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><p><strong>Games next chapter. Who will be the muttations?<strong>


	6. One Step at a Time

**Let the 100th Hunger Games begin...**

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><p>I finger my outfit nervously as I step onto the silver platform. Form-fitting black pants and short-sleeved shirt with a thin brown jacket, the colour of trees. Thick-soles shoes tied firmly to my feet. The platform begins to rise.<p>

_Sixty_

The sunlight is blinding.

_Fifty-five_

Panic hits as my eyes struggle to adjust.

_Fifty_

Double glints of gold, double splashes of green.

_Forty-five_

Two Cornucopias?

_Forty_

Mirror images, the Cornucopias and the forests, each leaning opposite ways.

_Thirty-five_

My heart pounds as I search for Kayden.

_Thirty_

Fifty yards away, a slingshot, with a backpack and small sword nearby.

_Twenty-five_

Two of the Careers are within five plates to either side of me, eyeing their prey.

_Twenty_

The girl from Twelve is beside me, and I can see the strange lack of emotion in her face.

_Fifteen_

She's a mutt. Twelve of my competitors are mutts.

_Ten_

I focus on my targets.

_Five_

Lean forward, just a little, ready to run.

_GONG!_

I run for the weapons, sprinting as fast as I can towards them. I hear screaming, bloodthirsty yells, the sounds of fighting, but my vision is focused only on the weapons that will save our lives. I snatch up the backpack in one hand, stuff the sword in my belt for Kayden, and grab the slingshot.

A force hits me from behind, and I see the girl from Twelve, the mutt. She's crazy, clawing at me with her bare hands. I scramble backwards, and something pulls her away from me. Ciela slashes at the girl and I run.

I distance myself from the main fighting and look around frantically for my twin. My heart is pounding so hard I think my chest will burst.

Then I see him. Kayden, my twin brother, my best friend, is slashing out at another Tribute. Then he turns, his gaze aimed at me, and I realize what I think I've known all along.

My twin brother is a mutt. And he's going to kill me.

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><p>I'm far into the forest by the time I stop running. I'm sure the cameras were trained on us when Kayden turned on me, sure that they're following me in between shots of the Bloodbath. But I can't control the tears streaming down my face as I run from the only person in the world I trust.<p>

I'm sweating and exhausted by now, and I know I have to stop. Exhaustion in the arena will get me killed. I slip into the secrecy of a bush, and wipe my face dry.

_One step at a time, Kara. You have to do this. You have to survive._ I open up the backpack and look through the supplies.

A canteen of water. Matches. Bread, some fruit, a little packet of meat. Some bandages. Very good. These will all be lifesavers. Next, I pick up the slingshot, weighing it in my hand, examining its build. It's better made than the crude weapons we use in the District, issued only for use in the pastures and taken away each night. I can use pebbles as ammunition, those will be easy to find. Finally, I turn my eyes to the sword. _Kayden's sword_. My gut wrenches. I'll have to teach myself how to use this if I want to survive; nobody wins the Games with just a slingshot.

I repack the supplies and look at my surroundings. Tall trees, branches too high up to climb efficiently. Little undergrowth to provide protection, just occasional bushes like the one I'm hiding in and little ferns and grass growing in patches. The trees are starting to lose their leaves, and in two or three days the ground will be covered in dead leaves, making silent travel impossible. I stay completely still, and can hear the faint sound of running water over the birds and wind. Shouldering my backpack, I go to look for pebbles for my slingshot.

I try to push Kayden out of my mind, but I know it'll never work. He's there, hovering in my thoughts, haunting me. Out of my reach.

I refuse to cry. All of Panem is watching.

I haven't run into anybody when the Capitol anthem begins to play. I look up at the fake sky above me, barely obstructed by the thin trees. There were eight deaths in the Bloodbath today, and two later. _What if Kayden died?_ I don't know how to answer my own question. If he's dead, I've lost him forever, but he was a mutt. If he lived, he's dangerous. He doesn't know me.

Then I remember my answer to Oberon. The only time I completely told the truth in the interview. _Nothing will keep us apart. _The Capitol can't alter emotions, can they?

The pictures are appearing in the sky. I don't really recognize any of the dead Tributes, nobody I really paid attention to. Ciela's District partner, the boy from Nine, appears, and I'm holding my breath. Two deaths left. I let out my breath explosively when the girl from Eleven appears.

"Worried for your twin?" I twirl, panicking. My slingshot is up, loaded and aimed at the girl in front of me.

"Hello, Karalynn."

"Breia."

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><p><strong>Reviews?<strong>


	7. Breia Watson

**I haven't gotten a lot of reviews on this... I'd like some before I continue, because I love constructive criticism. Please?**

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><p>"<em>Breia."<em>

The slender girl stood a few feet in front of me, backpack slung over her shoulder, with a knife resting in her hand. Her dark hair was tied up in a ponytail, but some of the shorter strands were sticking to her forehead with sweat. She'd been running.

"I saw what happened at the Bloodbath. With you and Kayden."

"Yeah?" My slingshot was loaded, but it was a long distance weapon. She'd have her knife in my gut before I could shoot her. I can tell she already knows this. Resigned, I lower my arm. "What do you want?"

Breia grinned. "I'm not going to kill you, Karalynn." She leaned forward conspiratorially, like she had a great secret to tell me. "We'll both survive longer as allies."

I lock eyes with her while I think. _She's smarter than I am, that much is obvious. She could stab me in the back as soon as I turn around._ Then, _does it matter? I doubt I'll be going home. Not without Kayden. Besides, I have the extra gear. And an alliance is the best way to survive._

"Fine. But we're going to find Kayden." The words are out of my mouth before I know what I'm saying. Breia looks at me, almost sadly. "I remember what you said at the interview. We'll try and find him, okay? But it may not be that great of an idea."

I sighed. "We'll see." Slipping the rock out of my slingshot, I indicate my supplies. "Food and first aid stuff. Some water. I'm going to practice with the sword some, that was for Kayden. Are you any good with the knife?"

"Not bad. But they're expecting us to come out and fight, right?"

I look at the other girl, confused. She grins at me.

"We're going to outsmart them. Between you and me? It's the only way Three ever wins, and you're going to need someone watching your back. Your entire plan for the arena centered around having your brother, didn't it?"

An alliance with Breia seems smarter every word she says.

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><p>The next half a day is quiet. We pool our supplies and talk strategy, but mostly Breia sits against a tree thinking while I practice with the sword. It's too heavy for either of us, really, so I hope my slingshot and her knife- and whatever she's planning- can keep us alive.<p>

It's afternoon when we decide to start moving. It's chilly, a breeze that doesn't seem like much until you're walking through it for a while. The thin jacket doesn't do much to help.

We find ourselves making small talk as we trek through the woods. I tell Breia about Kayden, about Meghana, a little about my friends. Not much, just enough to keep a conversation going. I don't want to tell her everything, because then all of Panem will know. We tell funny stories from before the Games. And I learn more about my ally.

Her name is Breia Watson. She's fourteen, just a year younger than me. Her little sister died a few years ago after being ill. I guess she understands losing a sibling. As I suspected during training, she's easily the smartest person I've ever met. Typical District Three.

We're headed towards the faint sound of running water I heard earlier. It turns out to be a small, fast-moving river.

"We should cross. Some Tributes, at least, will want to stay on one side of the river." Breia nods, and we make our way towards a thinner part of the water.

Our mistake is obvious right as I step in the water. It's freezing, first of all, but also very fast. I'm swept off my feet, pulled along by the water that I don't know how to fight against. My backpack is jammed against my shoulder, the sword digging into my leg through my pants, and then I hit a rock.

My vision goes red, then black. Breia tells me later that she ran alongside me, pulling me out of the freezing water after I fell unconscious. I had been carrying most of the supplies. Luckily, we didn't lose any food. I did lose the sling.

We cross the river in a safer, slower place. It's dangerous, but that makes it good protection. Setting up camp on the other side, I slump against a tree to examine my wounds.

My head is pounding, but it's starting to feel better. My shoulder and back are bruised up from the rocks, and my leg is bleeding a little where the sword dug into it. I'm lucky it's not worse, really. But it's enough to slow us down.

From then on, it's slow. Breia is planning something, and tells me to take a nap when I mention how badly my head hurts. As I curl up under the trees, I wonder for a moment why Breia chose me. Why we're trusting each other.

I wonder where Kayden is.

Then I succumb to sleep.


	8. Karalynn Jackson, Murderer

**Sorry, I spent the last couple days on vacation (the ocean is surprisingly nice in April), so I definitely owe you a few chapters!**

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><p>"<em>Karalynn... Karalynn, wake up." I rolled over in my sleep. "Just a few more minutes..." The voice grew insistent. "Karalynn? We have to get moving."<em>

"_I'm not on watch today..."_

"_Karalynn..."_

"Karalynn Jackson, wake UP!"

My eyes snap open. An unfamiliar face is hazy in front of me, a girl, probably a little younger than me, her dark hair tied back from a sweaty head. Too pale to belong in Ten. I scoot back, fast, then double over. My head is pounding, and my stomach heaves up my last meal. I'm catching my breath again when I remember where I am.

I'm in the Hunger Games. My twin brother is a mutt and I don't know where he is. I'm with Breia Watson, my spur-of-the-moment ally. And my head hurts, more than any headache I've ever had before.

"You've been out for nearly a day. There was another death, early this morning, I don't know who. Probably some victim of the Careers, or..." My hand clenches a fistful of dead leaves as Breia's voice trails off. _Or the mutt Tributes._

I look around, my head still pounding. We're surrounded by the tall trees, the leaves falling faster than any tree I'd ever seen back home. Not that there were many, in the hills. The ground is almost completely covered by crunchy dead leaves. It's cold, a biting breeze coming through the thin forest. As far from home as you could get.

Breia helps me to my feet. "We need to keep moving. We've been in one place too long, we're asking to get attacked." I stuff the food and medicine into my backpack, then move the sword into easy reach. I'm feeling around for the slingshot until I remember that it was broken in the river.

The travel is slow. Our surroundings seemingly never change, and after a while Breia voices the concern that we're going in circles. Walking over to a shorter, fatter, tree, I carefully impale a leaf on the end of each of the thin branches I could reach. My ally is staring at me like I've gone crazy.

"We'll know if we see this tree again. It's not something any other Tribute would notice, but we can keep an eye out for trees like this. It's better than nothing." Breia nods. I guess she's the brains and I'm the common sense.

We're making camp at the end of the day when the first attack comes.

A boy comes barreling out of the trees. He's armed only with a short, thick knife. Once glance tells me that it's covered in blood. Breia and I freeze as he bears down on us. Then, suddenly, my mind whirls into action. Breia's unarmed. I shove her behind me, reaching for the heavy sword meant for Kayden. I hear her hit the ground with a muffled curse, but I'm already swinging at the boy.

It's obvious he's much more skilled with the knife than I am with the sword. It's too heavy for me, and I didn't train much with swords back in the Capitol. I think I'm done for when a force hits the boy from behind, knocking him off me.

Breia tackles the Tribute, knocking him into a tree. She struggles loose as he slumps to the ground. Unconscious. Wiping blood from my eyes, I walk over shakily.

"Th-thanks."

Breia shrugs. "You needed help." She looks at the boy. "We have to do something about him, Karalynn."

"Kara," I correct her absently. "This is no place to be formal. You just saved my life."

I kneel beside the boy. "It's not fair." My ally places her hand on my shoulder. "I know, Kara. But it has to be done. It's the Games."

Slowly, almost gently, I take the boy's knife. He's out cold, no resistance at all. I guide it to his throat, then stop. "I can't."

"You have to. He'll kill us. You need to find Kayden, we both need to live a little longer."

I close my eyes and slit the boy's throat.

He's probably about sixteen, I estimate. Judging by his dark skin, he's from Eleven. Probably has family, friends, maybe a girlfriend back home. And I just killed him.

Standing up slowly, Breia puts her hand on my arm. I shrug her off, and start walking deeper into the forest. She follows silently.

Panem watches me walk away from the boy I just killed without a second glance. Karalynn Jackson, murderer.

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><p><strong>Dun dun DUN...<strong>

**I'll try and post again tomorrow, I know I'm behind in chapters.**

**Reviews?**


	9. Another Day

**Sorry for taking forever. Writer's block/Working on a oneshot for another series. I know I owe you guys 3-4 chapters, so I'll try and update twice tonight.**

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><p>I lead Breia away from everything, back in a random direction. We walk in silence for hours, but my mind is busy. I keep replaying that scene in my head, trying to figure out what else I could have done.<p>

It hurts to know I have blood on my hands.

_Another normal day in the Hunger Games, just taking a stroll after murdering some kid I don't know. _I shake that thought out of my head. _At least I'm off screens for a while._ That entire battle would have been on display for Panem, but our boring trek in silence won't be.

I wonder what my mother and sister thought of that.

_Karalynn Jackson. Focus._ I shake my head, muttering to myself. I was walking too loudly, not paying attention to my surroundings. Glancing back at Breia, I saw her eyes were wide and she was gripping her knife tightly. Shame floods my face. "Sorry. I don't know what got into me."

Breia smiles a little. "We both do, Kara. It's alright." I smile back at her, and we keep walking aimlessly. Somewhere, anywhere, to keep living for another day.

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><p>We've been walking for another hour or two when we find it. The sun's going down, and I almost trip over the remains of a fire. It hadn't burned out too long ago, but was hard to see in the fading light. A Tribute's campsite.<p>

"The cannon earlier." Breia's voice is trembling, and I glance at her.

There's blood on the ground. Someone died here, in a pool of their own blood. There are splatterings of blood elsewhere, gashes in the dirt, footprints. A fight.

I kneel next to the blood on the ground, more to keep myself from falling over than to examine it. "It was bloody. Whatever happened."

Breia finds the carving in the hard, cold dirt. Someone had carved a jagged 'C' in the ground.

"Ciela?" My voice catches in my throat.

"Not her style. She's sneaky. The footprints are too big, too heavy. No... C is for Careers."

Breia's standing across from where I'm kneeling on the ground, staring at her feet. Suddenly, faster than I can react, she whips around and throws her knife at a nearby tree. It lodges, stuck fast. My ally slumps to the ground, sobbing into her hands.

I make my way beside her, putting my arm around her shoulders. "It's not fair, Kara. It's not fair! Some kid, some innocent little kid, was killed here because the rich Districts brainwash their kids to be killers. Because the Capitol enjoys seeing us suffer." She's yelling, and I'm too stunned to stop her. _Somebody is going to find us._

"It's just not fair! There are twenty-four families out there each hoping their kid is going to come back. And we're going to die, because we never stand a chance. They took away your twin, turned him into a monster, just to hurt you. They make us kill each other, and it's tearing apart those of us with hearts, and all we can do it stand here and look at the blood and be afraid.

Screaming, sobbing, Breia tears herself from my grasp and turns her head up to the sky. To address the Capitol. "You enjoy this! You enjoy watching us die! It's not fair!"

I do the only think I can think of. I stand up, take one step, and grab my ally by the shoulders roughly. "Breia Watson," I hiss, "Get a grip. We're going to have the entire Capitol up in arms against us now." I lower my voice, but keep the anger. To the audience, I'm reprimanding her. Good District girl. Only she can hear the words under the anger. "I know it's not fair. But it's where we are, and we need to survive as long as we can. We want to see another day."

Tears are streaming down her face when Breia steps away from me. Retrieving her knife and pack, she turns to me again. "We should get moving. Everybody knows where we are now."

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><p>The attack I've been waiting for comes in the middle of the night.<p>

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><p><strong>Reviews make unexpected dramatic things happen. <strong>**Then again, I'm adding those anyways. ****So, reviews make me post faster?**


	10. Never Let Go

**This is the chapter I wrote this entire FanFic around. Never let go. Please, reviews?**

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><p><em>The attack I've been waiting for comes in the middle of the night.<em>

I offer to keep watch that night. Partially because Breia will be more agreeable in the morning.

Mostly because I don't trust the Capitol not to attack us while we're asleep.

The growling starts not too far to right. My legs are sore, and I'm exhausted, but I spring around immediately. "Breia. Get up!" Crouching down, I shake her awake with one hand and hold out Kayden's sword with the other.

"What's going o-" Breia hears the growling a second too late. The mutt leaps, and I stab at it in panic. "RUN!"

My ally snatches up the pack and runs for her life. I'm half considering staying, fighting off the mutt to let her escape, when I see another shadow chasing after her in the faint moonlight.

Stabbing one last time at the creature, I run for my life after my ally, crunching through the dead leaves and dodging trees. My heart is pounding so loudly I'm sure they can hear it, and I'm gasping for breath. _They're going to get me. I'm done._

My thoughts are flying to my family. Mom, Meghana. _Don't make them watch my death..._ Then Kayden. _I can't leave him all alone... I have to find him, even if he's cra-_

A scream, close by. Then another. Two different voices.

The only two voices in the arena I recognize without a thought.

I don't care about the mutts on my heels anymore. I run as fast as I can towards Breia and Kayden.

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><p>The growling diminishes as I get closer to the voices, the yelling. I guess the Capitol thinks this fight will be interesting enough without the mutts.<p>

The scene I run into makes me stop in my tracks.

Breia's standing, dead still, in the meadow, her hand clenching her knife. Her face only registers shock.

I barely glance at my ally for a second.

Ciela, the sly girl from nine, is locked in a struggle with my twin. I don't recognize Kayden at first. His brown hair, almost the exact shade of mine, is dirty and tangled. His face and arms are smeared with mud, his shoulder is bloody. But what scares me most is his eyes. My twin's chocolate eyes are lifeless, emotionless. Possessed.

"KAYDEN!" He glances up at me, and I see a flicker of recognition in his eyes. That split second that we stare at each other is the only chance Ciela needs. She forces him backwards, a slice across the chest from her daggers, and a shove.

It's the force of the push that topples him over the edge of the cliff I hadn't noticed before.

Breia lets out a choked sound by my side, but it's drowned out by my scream. Later, I remember the sound; Full of pain, fear, and horror. I launch myself forward. Ciela sidesteps me, but I'm not aiming for her. Skidding to a halt at the edge of the cliff, I see Kayden holding on by his fingertips.

Behind me, Breia's thrown herself at Ciela, and they're fighting it out with their knives. I don't care. My entire world is in front of me, as my twin begins to slip.

_He's a mutt,_ the sensible portion of my brain says. _But he's my twin brother._ I reach out and catch his hand just as he falls. Kayden dangles from the cliff, clenching my hand painfully. He's heavy- he's always been bigger than me, and I'm holding up his entire weight.

The hatred in his eyes almost makes me let go. But I don't.

The seconds feel like hours. Slowly, his eyes, his expression, changes. Recognition flickers. "Kara?" His voice is hoarse.

"Kay..."

He grips my hand tighter. His eyes are coming back to life. Full of tears. "Kara... I'm sorry..."

"Kayden..." I'm sobbing, barely holding on.

"Don't let go, Kara. Never let go." Our hands are sweaty.

"Never."

I'm reaching down with my other hand to pull him up when the force hits me from behind. Ciela shoves me forward, and I twist unconsciously to catch myself.

I watch my twin fall away from me forever.

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><p><em>Don't let go, Kara. Never let go.<em>

_Never let go._

_Never._

I don't know where my feet are taking me. I don't know what's happened in the last hour.

I don't care.

Kayden fell. I just barely pulled myself up from the edge. Breia was behind me, lying in the dirt. In a pool of her own blood. A knife was lodged in her stomach.

I screamed, pain, fury, hatred, and launched myself at Ciela.

Then I left behind the two dead bodies and ran.

There was some sort of announcement. Congratulations for making the top eight. The rational part of my brain knows who's left. I block it out angrily.

_Never let go._

I let go. And I lost my twin brother forever.

00000

I don't know how long it's been since they died. I remember the pictures in the sky. Just three. Breia. Ciela. Kayden.

The cut on my face from Ciela is healing, but my cheek is still covered in blood. I don't care.

I can't remember when I last ate or drank anything. I don't care.

I'm going to die. I'm going to go join Kayden and my father and Breia.

I'm ready to die when the parachute shows up.

It's just a piece of paper.

_Karalynn- Don't give up. You have to keep going. You will win this. I am _not_ going to let you die. –Sable_

I want to scream. Why can't she leave me alone? I have nothing left.

I've already lost.

_Never let go._


End file.
